Another band of the label Pink Hedgehog and that valley the penalty to be known is this
quartet of Cambridge, in England. Led for Eoin - stock exchange operator, vocalist, guitar and keyboards - the HAMFATTER is a group with a beautiful sample of sounds contemporaries and much diversion. The soft presence of the feminine voice of Emilie and some melodies send to the BELLE AND SEBASTIAN, even so this serve only to point out some of (possible) the influences of quartet. Fireworks was released in 2003 and brings some mixtures that beiram the quaint one. The record opens in the band heading, a strange song, sung outside of the tone, with Eoin pulling the song. Full of interruptions and with the voice of Emilie to the deep one, fast and it is agitated.

'Bluesy Grooves' does not have nothing of blues traditional, only one piano and a voice that vacant BEN FOLDS FIVE remembers to me, even so the voice of Ben was less fragile do that of Eoin (or of JAMES, integrant da band and also vocalist room and guitar). 'We Never Know' shows to a more folk side. 'This Is Entertainment' shows Emilie in first plan, while in the other songs it is in second plain. Emilie possesss a delicate, fragile voice. It remembers, in fact, a little of BELLE AND SEBASTIAN. 'Soundcheck Saturday' remembers much VIOLENT FEMMES. Fast, quick drums and cut courses. 'Pyramid Song' is a beautiful song with percussion and voice. 'Bad Karma', in all its calm, violão and pain shows to a side bitter taste of the group.

Eoin reveals a letrista of sensiblidade. For the end, they are the bands most curious: almost the pro-drugs 'You May (Take Drugs In The Day)', a subject that any band fears to say and the bem-humorada 'John Peel (On My Phone)', more than launched one year before the death of the most important British broadcaster of all the times. Closing the work, it only comes an entitled band 'Bonus', with one piano ground. If you like one pop descompromissado with the success stops and already she found she tired to hear the "alternative ones of the fashion", could risk with the HAMFATTER and too much groups of the Pink. But a negative point of the record: the little graphical whim and the fact of the songs to have its placed names side-by-side in the against-layer, that make it difficult to know the name of each one of them. And could have given to more details technician. But taking off this, valley to know... To know more on the band it enters in the site of the group...

Outra banda do selo Pink Hedgehog e que vale a pena ser conhecida é esse quarteto de Cambridge, na Inglaterra. Liderados por Eoin - baixista, vocalista. guitarra e teclados - o Hamfatter é um grupo com uma bela amostra de sons contemporâneos e muita diversão. A presença da voz feminina de Emilie e algumas melodias suaves remetem ao Belle and Sebastian, embora isso sirva apenas para situar algumas das (possíveis) influências do quarteto. Fireworks foi lançado em 2003 e traz algumas misturas que beiram o esquisito. O disco abre com a faixa-título, uma canção estranha, cantada fora do tom, com Eoin puxando a canção. Cheia de interrupções e com a voz de Emilie ao fundo, é rápida e agitada.

"Blues Groovy" não tem nada de blues tradicional, apenas um piano e uma voz que vagamente me lembra Ben Folds Five, embora a voz de Ben fosse menos frágil do que a de Eoin (ou de James, quarto integrante da banda e também vocalista e guitarra). "We Never Know" mostra um lado mais folk. "This Is Entertainment" mostra Emilie em primeiro plano, enquanto nas outras canções ela fica em segundo plano. Emilie possui uma voz delicada, frágil. Lembra, de fato, um pouco de Belle and Sebastian. "Soundcheck Yesterday" lembra muito Violent Femmes. Rápida, bateria veloz e andamentos cortados. "Pyramid Song" é uma bela canção com percussão e voz. "Bad Karma", em toda sua calma, violão e dor mostra um lado amargo do grupo. Eoin mostra-se um letrista de sensiblidade.

Para o final, ficam as faixas mais curiosas: a quase pró-drogas "You May (Take Drugs In The Day)", um tema que qualquer banda teme falar e a bem-humorada "John Peel (On My Phone)", lançada mais de um ano antes da morte do mais importante radialista britânico de todos os tempos. Fechando o trabalho, vem uma faixa intitulada apenas "Bonus", com um solo de piano. Se você gosta de um pop descompromissado com as paradas de sucesso e já achou cansou de ouvir os "alternativos da moda", poderia arriscar com o Hamfatter e demais grupos da Pink.

Apenas um ponto negativo do disco: o pouco capricho gráfico e o fato das canções terem seus nomes colocados lado-a-lado na contra-capa, que dificultam saber o nome de cada uma delas. E poderiam ter dado mais detalhes técnicos. Mas tirando isso, vale conhecer... Para saber mais sobre a banda entre no site do grupo...

Reviewed at Mofo by Rubens Leme Da Costa, BRAZIL

I first heard Fireworks by HAMFATTER when it was out as a self released CDR. Pink Hedgehog have now released it as a CD which will hopefully expose it to the wider audience it deserves. HAMFATTER make melodic indiepop with an original approach, which is both quirky and intelligent. 'Bluesy Grooves' is an underground-friendly and slightly off-centre take on blues/jazz/pop. 'We Never Know' and 'Pyramid Song' are excellent acoustic-based songs. 'My Name' is great well-crafted pop with a dark edge. 'Soundcheck Saturday' is a superb slice of inventive quirkiness.

'Another Young Brave' has an unusual mix of instruments - noisy guitar, woodblocks, hand drum and harpsichord! A very innovative arrangement. 'You May (Take Drugs In The Day)' is brilliant off-kilter piano-based pop, as is 'John Peel (On My Phone)'. Finally there's 'Bonus', a sophisticated neoclassical piano piece. The album has a very homemade feel about it, you can even hear the tapehiss during the quieter moments - but don't let this put you off. The songwriting and musicianship stand out from the crowd, due to their talent, sophistication and originality. Very impressive stuff.

Reviewed in Aquamarine by Kim Harten, UK

Although HAMFATTER's CD Fireworks is broadly identifiable as Britpop, it doesn't really sound like anything I recall having heard before. I take that as a positive sign - I don't quite know what to make of all this but I like it. In the Pink Hedgehog tradition, HAMFATTER's music is accessible but reveals a darker layer below. Not every cheerful pop band has a song called 'You May (Take Drugs In The Day)'. Few bands could carry it off with such conviction.

Eoin (vocals, bass, keys and guitar), Mark (drums), Emilie (vocals) and James (vocals and guitar) obviously have odd collective ideas about pop music. Their concept of what constitutes 'Bluesy Grooves' is completely different from my understanding of the term, but I can go with their interpretation. 'Fireworks', the glitchy 'My Name' and 'Soundcheck Saturday' feature fast, word-filled syncopated vocal lines that I would have thought to include in Britpop. 'We Never Know', 'This Is Entertainment' and 'Pyramid Song' are more traditional ballads that have a bit of the light side of early BLUR and SUEDE as well as a kinship to label mate SUICIDE CAT.

'Soundcheck Saturday' and 'John Peel (On My Phone)' HAMFATTER provide a very personal account of the ups and downs of being in a band struggling to get noticed. The quiet arrangement and sweet harmonies of 'Bad Karma' add up to a strange sense of a '50s easy listening ballad reworked for THE GRATEFUL DEAD's American Beauty (yes, you heard me - that's what I meant to say). 'Another Young Brave' begins like an understated GORKY's folk song until it really comes to life with an unexpected blistering psychedelic fuzz guitar. The CD concludes with 'Bonus', a dainty piano solo.

Though Fireworks is a bit poppy overall for my usual taste, I find it quite compelling. Each time I hear this disc, it hits me in a somewhat different way. There is not a point at which you can say "Oh, right, that's the formula. Now, I've figured it all out". A band that can keep you guessing over the course of a CD without taking any obvious missteps is a band that should be heard.

Reviewed in Free City Media by Nick Bensen, USA

HAMFATTER is quirky, but in a reasonable way. That is, the Cambridge quartet writes songs with words that make more sense than they seem at first scan, and melodies that don't go where you might expect, but still end up hooking your ear. It's the appealing quirk of XTC or ROBYN HITCHCOCK, instead of the obsequious, annoying quirk of BARENAKED LADIES and latter-day VIOLENT FEMMES, and the band makes it (mostly) work. Kudos especially the amusing singalong 'John Peel (On My Phone)'.

Reviewed at High Bias by Michael Toland, USA

How can I describe the title track? Think BARE NAKED LADIES meets NEIL DIAMOND. Sounds weird huh? Well, actually it works rather well here. 'Bluesy Grooves' moves to a, well, bluesy groove. 'Soundcheck Saturday' rockets down the road at breakneck speed before going airborne into the bridge. 'You May (Take Drugs In The Day)' is a fun filled BEATLES come VIOLENT FEMMES look at a lazy stoner leach that you probably have in your life somewhere. This is an enjoyable jazz, pop, acoustic, rock hodgepodge of sorts. If you like any of the bands used in comparison you should check out HAMFATTER.

Reviewed in Ear Candy by J.R. Oliver, USA

Named after an old Negro minstrel song ('The Hamfat Man'), this London quartet is the brainchild of singer/songwriter, Eoin O'Mahony, whose motormouthed, ZAPPA-fronting-BARENAKED-LADIES vocal pyrotechnics on 'Fireworks' and 'Soundcheck' set the stage for a quirky collection of angular pop songs with more than a passing whiff of Georgie's Psychotic Monkey. I like the swinging, jazzy, JOE JACKSON vine of 'Bluesy Grooves', and while Emilie's pleasant harmonizing highlights 'We Never Know' and her wafting, lilting soprano graces 'This Is Entertainment', she may be the most woefully underutilized "lead singer" this side of RACHAEL GOSWELL on recent MOJAVE 3 releases.

'Saturday' and 'Pyramid Song' are quiet, romantic tearjerkers (sort of like ARAB STRAP with less alcohol and better harmonies, particularly on the latter), and the whistful harpsichord intro to 'Bad Karma' is a delicate springboard into a broken-hearted tale that conjures bedsitter images of AL STEWART, although the young ones may find more in common with that guy with the RADIO in his HEAD. Finally, the closing 'Bonus' is a gorgeous little piano solo that someone needs to sequester immediately and lock inside the nearest music box. Lyrically, I'd like to hear O'Mahony explore more deeper subjects than drugs and hangovers on future releases, but overall this is a most promising and engaging debut, and these somewhat inebriated Minstrels in the Gallery are worthy of your attention.

Reviewed at Fake Jazz by Jeff Penczak, USA

"Catchy tunes, clever lyrics and dark undertones". I wouldn’t disagree for one minute with anything said here in the press release. Great melodic hooks are everywhere, the "hook up with Dr No" line on the intriguing ‘Soundcheck Saturday’ is a great example of a "clever lyric" while ‘Bad Karma’ reeks of RADIOHEAD darkness with classic 60s guitar arpeggios giving way to harmony vocals and chord changes that advance us a few years! The angst ridden ‘Another Young Brave’ (steals away) follows - great chorus, powerful electric guitar chords, understated percussion. The main phrase I would add to the press release is "sense of humour" and HAMFATTER don’t let John Peel’s interest in the band go to their heads.

Witness the most stunning track on the album ‘John Peel (On My Phone)’, appropriately tongue in cheek with Andy Newman style barrelhouse piano adding to the sense of fun and a classic chorus in "Lord, don’t let me be poor!" (Anyone who hasn’t heard THUNDERCLAP NEWMAN’s classic album Hollywood Dream please rectify that situation immediately if you didn’t pick up the Newman reference - after you’ve heard HAMFATTER of course!). The album ends surprisingly (but welcomingly) with a Michael Nyman sounding piano piece entitled ‘Bonus’. I hear a similarity to THE BEAUTIFUL SOUTH (‘This Is Entertainment’) and CROWDED HOUSE (‘You May (Take Drugs In The Day)’) but, despite the comparisons, HAMFATTER carve out a musical niche all of their own. A must have!

Reviewed in Zeitgeist by Phil Jackson, UK

This Pink Hedgehog release really lives up to all the hype. Described as intelligent pop, it is actually much more than that. After you "hook up with Dr No" on "Saturday" (an irresistible line!) comes as spellbinding a trilogy of songs as you'll hear anywhere. The middle one's aching melodies you might imagine sung by Thom Yorke (the title is 'Bad Karma' after all!) but whose guitar arpeggios take you back to a classic 60s song. 'Another Young Brave' has some dark but powerful electric guitar chords. Lots of comparisons in style came to mind (names infuriatingly out of reach!) but the key feature of this release is humour.

While obviously pleased that John Peel (On My Phone) is impressed, the song is appropriately tongue in cheek, with some entertaining barrel house piano that might have come from the repertoire of Andy Newman of THUNDERCLAP NEWMAN fame. The chorus "Lord don't let me be poor" is a side splitter and shows HAMFATTER have their feet solidly on the ground. The 'Bonus' is some nice Nyman style piano from composer/bassist/guitarist Eoin. Go on, treat yourself!

Reviewed at Paradox One by Phil Jackson, UK

Riddled with the quirky idiosyncrasies of a staunch British songwriter, HAMFATTER offer a strange, almost novel, re-thinking of the indie rock guidebook. For it’s not so much HAMFATTER’s melody-drenched leftfield pop dramatics or even the occasional jazz rock noodle that separates this London quartet from their contempories, instead such uniqueness is drawn through Eoin O’Mahony’s clever, incisive lyrics and his queer, jerky vocal range. Whether he’s singing endearingly about the virtues of John Peel or not (he occasionally does), his Albarn-minus-the-faux-cockney-swagger tugs and pulls you through a rash of melodic indie rock that subsequently paints HAMFATTER as a band worthy of a much heightened profile.
You’ll find yourself pleasingly surprised.

Reviewed in LOGO Magazine by Josh Timber, UK

Superb, melodic Brit pop, with jazzy undertones and hooks that can catch fish.

Reviewed at No Pigeonholes by Don Campau, USA

Flush all so called Brit-Pop down the drain, here comes HAMFATTER! This band redefines the quality of British guitar pop bands like THE KINKS/MANFRED MANN etc. No, HAMFATTER is not retro (flush all now official retro bands like STRIPES/THE DARKNESS... those are good for young people to help them find the originals 'n then realise how second class/gimmik these retro bands are). HAMFATTER is update and original! One of the best releases I received this year!

Reviewed by DJ Lord Litter, GERMANY